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Noctis

Noctis

Vagabond

Posts : 562Join date : 2018-02-18Location : Frozen Alive

The Study of Power

From the moment he lost consciousness under the blood red sky until now, Noctis lay still and deathlike. Unable to move or awaken, his dreams were empty, instead his only company was the overwhelming feeling of stress and anger in his thoughts. His last recollection was his friends, Three and Doce, taking him from their former home to find some way to help him. Yet even that memory was weak and fleeting in comparison to the pain he felt from the People's Prince. Unable to bare anymore mental anguish, Noctis opened his eyes to escape his own mental prison.

The sight that greeted him was harsh and bright, his vision blurred from his eyes having been shut for an inordinate amount of time. After a few moments of adjustment, he could finally make out what was above him. Bright and cold lights rested above him. Noctis attempted to turn his head to see more of his surroundings, but was met with resistance and a dull pain radiating through his back. His neck was secured in place by something, probably to restrict movement. Not only his neck was restrained, however. His arms and legs were strapped down at the wrists and ankles respectively, with another belt wrapped tightly across his abdomen. With a slow whir, the table Noctis rested on began to lift at the head, bringing his body to an incline. As his body tilted, more of his environment was revealed, along with a man wearing what must have been white scrubs, now stained red with aged blood. In contrast, a clean mask covered his mouth and nose, his round bifocals resting just above. His hair was a jet black, with strands of gray hair peppering it through and through. Despite his age, he didn't appear to be frail, or even past his prime. Rather, his physique was toned and refined. The man turned to draw his attention towards the restrained Noctis.

"Ahh, I see you're finally up. I was worried, ya know? It's been so long since I've used these hands to save."

Noctis

The implications of the man's words never fully reached Noctis, his mind immediately focusing on the whereabouts of his friends. Almost as if reading his mind, the man interrupted Noctis' thoughts.

"They're not here. They dropped you off and went off to do who knows what. I'm Doctor Goldov by the way. Former registered physician and the man who saved your life."

Noctis remained silent, both as a precaution and because his head was preoccupied with everything that was happening. This mysterious Goldov, his location, what Three and Doce were up to. All of the unknowns overwhelmed Noctis, who began to relax out of the sheer futility of his predicament. Goldov picked up on the shift in Noctis' attitude instantly, sliding his chair up to the longleg. Grabbing a clipboard behind him, the doctor began to tap away at the paper, looking at it inquisitively. It all seemed like a routine and reflex to Noctis, but to Goldov it was beyond that. It was more akin to an old habit from his past that he tried to avoid. Sticking the end of his pen in his lips, he continued to think in silence just long enough for the air to become thick with awkwardness, though Goldov would never notice. Seamlessly, he transitioned into questioning his patient as if nothing had just happened.

Noctis had never really thought about it, but he never used a last name. Anytime something like that had been brought up, Dane's last name was the one used. However, given that he was dead, Noctis thought there was no harm in claiming it for his own. "Coronus."

"Ohhh, interesting, interesting. This makes sense. I was going to head over to the arena when I heard the news. I needed to refresh my stock of cadavers, and unnamed unmarked slaves would have been perfect." Goldov exclaimed shamelessly, the pieces beginning to come into place. The boy was an escaped slave as he thought, but taking the promoter's last name so quickly must have meant he was important. That and the state he was in... Yes, it was all very clear to him.

Goldov tapped at the clipboard once more. "Alright, a few more questions. Have you ever had any serious operations that required anesth-." he cut himself off, having gotten stuck in the rigmarole of his past and not thought properly about the context of his patient. A slave wouldn't have been given access to anesthetics. Topical at most, but that was pushing it. "Have you ever had any serious operations?"

"You mean besides the ones you've already done? Once or twice, nothing too serious." Noctis answered, quickly becoming more comfortable with the doctor. Noctis found security in answering questions, it was easy and to the point more often than not.

"Alright, alright. That makes sense from what I've seen. Lots of scar tissue in your abdomen and arms. One more question for posterity." Goldov explained, his demeanor remaining steady and unflinching. Without pause, he asked Noctis for the final time, "Are you sexually active?"

Noctis

Vagabond

Posts : 562Join date : 2018-02-18Location : Frozen Alive

The Study of Power

Despite the doctor's previous statements, the tedious questioning continued for a good while longer before it ended. Exhausted from constant answers, Noctis rested his eyes hoping to relax for a moment. However, Goldov was just getting started. The questions were simply the preliminaries. The main event was next, and the doctor made it clear. "Now, your friends made a deal with me. I'd fix you up, but I'd be allowed to experiment on you as I saw fit until you made a full recovery."

"And if I were to refuse?" Noctis asked.

"I'd return you to the state you were in when they dropped you off and leave you to die." Goldov replied casually, swiveling his chair back to press at something on the desk behind him. "Fortunately for you, most of what I aimed to do with your body is already done with, you were out cold the entire time. It should only be a day or two before you're up to snuff and can get out of here." he concluded, finally pressing the button on his desk, releasing Noctis' restraints.

Honestly, the fact that he had recovered in such a short period of time was astounding enough for Noctis to neglect questioning exactly what the doctor had done to him while he was unconscious. His body was stiff and sore from neglect, and each movement came with it's own corresponding groan. Reluctantly, Noctis brought himself off of the slanted table, finally getting a good look at his surroundings. Various medical supplies were scattered lackadaisically throughout the dimly lit room, and old blood stains covered most surfaces, most of which couldn't have come from Noctis. Hesitant to press the issue further, Noctis preoccupied himself with looking at the supplies around him.

Goldov busied himself with documenting Noctis' developments and the effects of his experiments, content with leaving the longleg to his own devices for the time being. Noctis, similarly pleased with the lack of conversation, began to look through a stack of books that hadn't been touched in years. The first one to catch his attention was labeled 'Material Science: The Hardness of Diamond and the Softness of Gold'. Taking a seat on the now reclined table he had just lifted himself from, Noctis began to flip through the pages.

'This text will take you through the properties of elements, including but not limited to: metals, compounds, and beyond.' the book warned, before continuing onto a table of contents. Noctis was hooked. He quickly scanned through the table, finding the first category that peaked his interest, 'Metallurgy and the Science of Alloys'. Within the chapter, the basics of how metals came to form alloys both naturally and synthetically were explained.

Noctis had never given it much thought, but to learn that steel itself was an alloy of iron and carbon was surprising. Normally, pure iron is soft and ductile, easy to shape and mold. However, when carbon is introduced, it fortifies the metal, increasing it's tensile strength and hardness. This fundamental principle is what allows blacksmiths to craft weapons from a normally soft metal.

Goldov glanced over, seeing the longleg ravenously turning the pages on a book he hadn't glanced at for as long as he could remember. Such an appetite for knowledge gave him a fond sense of nostalgia. Not wanting to spoil the man's train of thought, Goldov turned back to his desk, giving Noctis all the time he wanted.

Words: 581Doriki: +5 to Strength/Power when using legs, +5 to SpeedNotes:

Noctis

Vagabond

Posts : 562Join date : 2018-02-18Location : Frozen Alive

The Study of Power

It was hours of reading and turning pages before the silence finally broke, Noctis setting the book down and turning to Goldov, who was still at work at his desk. Eagerly hopping off the table, Noctis asked, "Can you teach me how to be strong?". His thought process was firing off so rapidly, that what he said betrayed what he was feeling and thinking. It wasn't that he wanted the doctor to teach him how to be strong, but rather teach him how to be like him, a doctor and scientist who used his talent to be strong. He wanted to know more about the power behind intelligence.

In spite of the phrasing of the question, Goldov seemed to know exactly what Noctis had intended, laughing at the suggestion, "That's a first. Man, kid, you must really be desperate to want to learn from a killer doctor." It was absurd to Goldov, even what the longleg was asking was absurd to him.

Undeterred, Noctis pressed on, "It's not what you do with your skills that interests me so much, but rather how you use them. How can I use it to my advantage?"

With a heavy sigh, Goldov relented, indulging Noctis' question in a way he might understand. "When you fight, you know where to aim to kill, right? The vitals. The brain, heart, lungs, all the important stuff that'll put a man down immediately. You know where to aim to cripple movement, the joints." Goldov swiveled to face Noctis and study his expression. "All of that is already using knowledge of biology in a fight to your advantage. Utilizing your knowledge isn't something anyone can teach, because it's something everyone does naturally. Understand?"

Yet what Goldov saw from Noctis wasn't a look of disappointment, but a gleaming grin of hope and joy. It was perplexing to him, as he had rejected his request. Immediately, Noctis requested something else, something different. "In that case, I want you to have me make something. Something that'll challenge what I know now. Something that I can make from what you have in here."

The kid he had taken in was full of surprises, and he had never anticipated that he'd be the intellectual type. But at Goldov's age, he should have figured that you can't judge a book by it's cover. Silently, Goldov pondered about what he could task the boy with making that'd be useful. Something basic enough to be possible at his level of ability, but complex enough to show him the potential of his chosen craft. Goldov's mind wandered to studying the boy's injuries, remembering the heavy scarring in his abdomen and arms, hidden underneath the bandages. The slave had a predisposition to getting ripped apart, clearly. That's when the idea came to Goldov. His patient had been absolutely engrossed in the properties of materials, and bandages were something that everyone would use, but the slave especially.

"Alright. I want you to make me a bandage that's hard to cut. Easy enough. You have access to everything here, so go nuts. However, you can't leave until it's done, understand? I won't have you wasting my materials for no benefit." Goldov said, turning back around before hearing Noctis' response. It was out of his hands now. Goldov wouldn't direct him on how to make what he had asked, or where to start. To him, it was an experiment in itself, how the slave, sheltered his entire life, would piece together and invent something entirely new based on a simple premise. It would be interesting to watch.

Without hesitation Noctis nodded in agreement and began raiding the materials around him, looking for bandages. It was time to put his knowledge to the test.

Words: 635Doriki: +5 to Strength/Power when using legs, +5 to SpeedSkills:Gear:Notes:

Noctis

Vagabond

Posts : 562Join date : 2018-02-18Location : Frozen Alive

The Study of Power

Noctis tore through cabinets, filled with intricate tools and supplies that he couldn't possibly imagine the designed applications. Despite this, he was going to keep things simple, strengthening simple cloth to use as a wrap around his arms and legs. He needed the bandage not to strengthen, but to study the weave that allowed it to maintain it's form. His cloth would be created from scratch using the preexisting design, with just a small adjustment to the materials that composed it.

After several minutes of absolutely ravaging the cabinets around him, Noctis finally thought to open a drawer or two. After the second or third guess, Noctis pulled open a drawer revealing a compartment packed to the brim with gauze and bandages. While he didn't intend on learning to be a doctor, simply studying the way the aid was composed would be sufficient. Taking a package in his hands, he tore it open, pulling out the roll of bandages within. Unrolling it, Noctis held it up close against the fluorescent light above to study the pattern of weave. After quickly scrawling it down on a nearby piece of paper, the long-legged man pulled out two more packages of bandages and gauze, comparing the patterns to make a composite.

Once the composite weave was drawn out, all Noctis had left to do was gather the materials to make it, followed by the pain staking process of carefully interweaving the cloth by hand. Even with the daunting task ahead, Noctis' determination flared. He would weave for days, until his hands were blistered and calloused if necessary; all for the sake of widening his breadth of knowledge. Looking around the well stocked lab Goldov ran, it was obvious he wasn't going to have any sort of traditional textiles.

However, while digging previously, Noctis began to piece together something odd about the laboratory. It was well stocked with supplies and tools, but none were marked or branded in any traditional way, instead having basic white labels with black text identifying them. Goldov wasn't exactly a reputable man from what Noctis had observed, the blood stains that served at decor was testament to that. Based on this, Noctis concluded that Goldov must make a significant amount of his own supplies. Doubling back into the cabinets, Noctis inspected the contents more closely. Despite his reputation, Goldov still had his pride as a scientist and doctor, leaving many of his possessions meticulously labeled. One jar, situated just below the drawer containing the bandages and gauze, was labeled 'Rayon'.

It wasn't something Noctis was immediately familiar with, but he felt it must be related to the supplies in the immediate proximity. Setting the container on his work counter, Noctis leaned on the knowledge of experts to guide him where he was lacking; in other words, he looked it up. Skimming through bound books, Noctis finally came across something of a staple in every lab, a directory of every chemical, compound, and material in the lab, their purpose, and their properties. It was smaller than Noctis imagined, but he supposed a criminal doctor wouldn't have the same range of supplies as a well off scientist. After flipping to the entry for Rayon, it became clear to him. It was a fiber, a soluble compound that could be chemically strengthened into a usable textile. Not only that, it was cheap and easy to produce, being made almost entirely of wood pulp. It was the ideal material for him to use.

After studying the process through which Rayon becomes workable, Noctis only needed one more material. Something just as workable, but naturally strong. Something immediately came to mind that fit the bill. Steel. Steel wire was relatively common,and able to be worked down into a durable fiber. Straying away from the bandages, Noctis once again inspected Goldov's supplies, opening a large, full body cabinet filled with containers organized and stored away. Dust had gathered around the boxes within, indicating that Goldov hadn't found much use for them in his 'profession'. Pulling out a box eerily labeled, 'binding agents', Noctis pushed aside the belts, chains, and rope within, before finding a large spool of razor thin steel wire. On it's own, it would be quite sharp, but sparsely weaving it into a surplus of Rayon would be just enough to bolster it's durability without causing discomfort.

Placing the spool onto his counter next to the Rayon, Noctis was finally ready to work. First was the preparation of the Rayon. It was simple enough, only having to introduce the liquid into it's solution, where fibrous material would form. It didn't take long until he had more than enough fiber, even taking into account the numerous mistakes he would be guaranteed to make at his first few attempts. With the fiber ready and the steel already prepared, Noctis took a seat and began to carefully interweave the two by hand. The steel was sharp, not sharp enough to cut him immediately, but over time, his fingertips were raw, blood slowly pooling through the thin layer of skin left.

He had a steady pace, and he was incredibly delicate when moving, but his inexperience began to show. After hours of weaving, he made his first critical mistake, having torn the weave by accident, forcing him to start over. It was discouraging, but Noctis wouldn't stop. He couldn't stop. Even despite his deal with Goldov, he absolutely could not fail. It was a matter of pride. As he pressed into his second attempt, Noctis didn't even notice Goldov slowly leave the room, ready to sleep, the door locking behind him from the outside. Noctis was trapped within, but he would never give his predicament the attention. After a handful of additional critical failures and restarts, Noctis finally completed his first proof of concept. His fingers were swollen and shaking, his mouth dry as bone, and his lips chapped. His eyes struggled to stay open, as if his eyelids were being pulled down by lead weights, but he kept himself awake. It was morning, after all. Goldov unlocked the door and entered into the lab with a yawn, turning to see Noctis holding up a thin sheet of fabric, three square meters of durable material just as Goldov requested.

Stunned, the doctor could only look on in silence, taking hold of the fabric and tugging on it, testing it's strength. "Well I'll be damned, this isn't half bad. A bit rough, not something I'd want to make a shirt out of, but it'll definitely work. If I had to give this a grade... you'd probably get a B minus. It's too... derivative. But that's not your fault, everyone starts out that way. The more you work at it, the more unique ways you'll find to make what you desire reality. That's power." Goldov praised, turning to his desk setting the fabric down. "You pass. You're free to go as you please."

Goldov waited a moment for a response before he turned to find the long-legged amateur asleep at his counter with a smile on his face. Content with the material he had gotten from his patient, Goldov let the young man sleep.

[Exit]

Words: 1202Doriki: +5 to Strength/Power when using legs, +5 to SpeedSkills:Gear:Notes: End of voyage